Review of Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55
Posted By Ken Sunday, 31 July 2011 20:58
This selection came about from another random tasting night this past Friday night with my usual tasting buddy down on the south side. For awhile we've been going to this great liquor store on the south side that sells singles, and getting random things to try out. This past Friday, Brooklyn Brewery's Pennant Ale '55 was one of the selections. See if this one turned out to be a good pick, or a bad pick.
Ken's Review
Taste: B I can't say that this was great, but it wasn't horrible, either. Honestly this one came off as kind of a 1 1/2-note beer, if that makes sense. There is a mild hop taste on the front end that finishes to a caramel malt back end. The after taste is kind of doughy, like a biscuit almost. It was a drinkable beer, but definitely wouldn't fall into my "go-to" beer category.
Packaging: A- This beer was an homage to the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, as is apparent by not on the name, but the baseball-like packaging. Blue and white striping is all over this bottle, with an image of a baseball behind the B in the center of the large label and small top label. Cool packaging for the reason it was created.
Value: B- The single I purchased of this was $1.89 plus tax for a 12 ounce bottle. I don't recall what the full sixer price was, but that would put it in the $9.99+ vicinity. As far as pales go, there are better ones for comparable or lower prices, so I can't go too far with a value rating on this one. Might be worth it if you are into the nostalgia factor, but that's about it, in my opinion.
Drunkeness: B The Pennant Ale '55 comes in at an even 5.0%. Not a lot there in the content arena, but it still holds its own. After downing a sixer of this, you would get the desired effect. However, it's all a matter of how much the taste and price factor into how much you want to get messed up. If you are looking for a drunken blitz, this isn't for you.
Overall: B Overall the Pennant Ale '55 was definitely worth a taste. The first few sips I wasn't too sure about it, but it starts to get better after it sits a bit, and by the end it was very drinkable. As I said, this won't be my go-to beer by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely worth trying out at least once.